North West MEC for Health and Social Development, Rebecca Kasienyane has echoed her disappointment at the arrest of a private and part-time doctor at a public hospital on allegations of possession of state medication at the private surgery for commercial purpose.
“The department is faced with many challenges and we cannot afford to have state resources being diverted elsewhere for self enrichment by fraudulent people, let alone a doctor. It is a shame! It is theft, if this allegation can be proved to true.
“We were alerted about this alleged theft and upon receiving the information, we requested immediate investigation. It is suspected that this might very well be the work of a syndicate and if it happens that there are people within the department who are involved, we will act swiftly in imposing the law,” says MEC Kasienyane.
North West police, accompanied by MEC Kasienyane, on Friday raided two surgeries in Morokweng and Ganyesa in the Dr Segomosti Momapati and recovered medication dispatched for public health facilities in the district.
At Morokweng, the police uncovered boxes of medication and pills clearly labelled as government property. On questioning, the suspect (a male doctor of between 35 to 38 years) refuted the allegations of theft levelled against him, denied any knowledge of the medication but failed to explain how the medication clearly labelled as government property ended in his surgeries.
He was then taken to his second surgery in Ganyesa where the police uncovered more boxes of state medication. With the evidence at hand, the suspect was then arrested.
The doctor will appear before the Ganyesa Magistrate Court today.
MEC Kasienyane is more worried about the fact that the suspect also works on a part-time basis at one of our facilities, Taung District Hospital and thus raising more suspicions of an internal network operation.
“It is difficult at this stage to determine the value of the medication stolen as there are indications that this theft has been going on for some time,” concluded the MEC.
Enquiries:
Tebogo Lekgethwane
Cell: 082 929 9958
E-mail: tlekgethwane@nwpg.gov.za
